A 20-minute workout on your prayer mat
No equipment, no jumping, no audience: a 20-minute strength circuit that fits in the space of a prayer mat, with an easier and harder version of every move.
The Fit Muslim4 min read
You don't need a gym, a set of weights or an hour to get stronger. You need about two square metres of floor, twenty minutes, and a plan you don't have to think about. This is that plan.
Everything here fits in roughly the space of a prayer mat. There's no jumping, so it's quiet enough for a flat with neighbours or a house with a sleeping baby. And it's done in the loose, comfortable clothes you'd pray in, so it suits anyone who'd rather not train in front of other people.
If you have a medical condition or an injury, are pregnant or have recently had a baby, check with your doctor before you start. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain or makes you dizzy.
First, a word about the mat
"On your prayer mat" means in its space, not necessarily on the mat you pray on. Many people keep a separate exercise mat or a thick towel for training and keep the prayer mat for salah: sweat and the place you put your forehead don't belong together. If you only have one mat, keep it clean, train barefoot, and wipe it down before you pray on it.
How the workout works
- 3 minutes: warm-up.
- 15 minutes: five exercises, 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest each, repeated for three rounds.
- 2 minutes: cool-down.
Set a repeating interval timer on your phone (40 seconds on, 20 off) so you never have to look at a clock. In each 40 seconds, work at a pace where you could have done two or three more good repetitions at the end. If you're gasping and your form is falling apart, you're going too hard; if you could chat through it, choose the harder version.
Warm-up (3 minutes)
- March on the spot, lifting your knees: 45 seconds.
- Arm circles, forwards then backwards: 30 seconds.
- Hip hinges — hands on hips, push your hips back and return: 30 seconds.
- Slow squats to a comfortable depth: 45 seconds.
- On hands and knees, slowly round and then flatten your back: 30 seconds.
The circuit (three rounds, 15 minutes)
1. Squat
Feet about shoulder-width apart, sit your hips back and down as if into a chair, then stand tall. Keep your whole foot on the floor.
Easier: sit down onto a chair and stand back up. Harder: pause for three seconds at the bottom of each one.
2. Push-up
Hands under your shoulders, body in one straight line from head to heels, lower your chest towards the floor and push back up.
Easier: hands on a wall or a kitchen worktop; the higher your hands, the easier it is. Progress to the arm of a sofa, then to the floor on your knees. Harder: take three slow seconds to lower yourself each time.
3. Reverse lunge
Step one foot back, lower until both knees are bent, then push through your front foot to stand. Alternate legs.
Easier: hold a chair or the wall for balance and take a shorter step. Harder: stay in the split position and do all your repetitions on one leg, then switch halfway through the 40 seconds.
4. Glute bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Push through your heels to lift your hips until your body is straight from shoulders to knees, squeeze, and lower slowly.
Easier: a smaller lift, with a brief pause at the top. Harder: one leg at a time, swapping halfway.
5. Plank or bird dog
For the plank, rest on your forearms and toes and hold your body in a straight line, breathing steadily. For the bird dog, on hands and knees, reach one arm forwards and the opposite leg back, hold for a breath, and swap sides.
Easier: plank on your knees, or hands on the sofa. If planks don't suit your back, do the bird dog instead. Harder: a longer, slower bird dog, holding each reach for three breaths.
Cool-down (2 minutes)
Lie on your back with your knees bent and breathe slowly for a minute: in through the nose, a long breath out. Then spend 30 seconds on each side stretching the front of your hip, kneeling on one knee with the other foot in front and gently shifting your weight forwards.
When to fit it in
Three sessions a week is plenty: for example, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The easiest way to make it stick is to tie it to a prayer rather than a clock time, because prayers move through the year and your training should move with them.
- After Fajr works for people whose evenings belong to family or work. Have some water first.
- Between Asr and Maghrib suits many people best, especially in winter when that gap is short and you need something quick.
- After Isha works if it doesn't keep you awake. If you sleep badly on training nights, move it earlier.
If you're building a fuller week around the prayers, our weekly template for training around the five prayers shows how this fits with longer sessions.
How to progress
Write down how many repetitions you manage in each 40-second block. When you beat your first-round numbers in every round for two sessions in a row, move that exercise to its harder version. After a month or two, most people have moved at least three of the five.
That's the whole method: the same twenty minutes, done a little better each week. It won't make headlines, but it works, because you'll still be doing it in six months.
“There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time.”
Twenty minutes is a small amount of free time. Spent on this, three times a week, it's a good return on both blessings.
References
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6412 — the two blessings of health and free time.
